The Power of Advertising

It is almost impossible to resist the power of advertising. Even those if us sensible (and disciplined enough) to avoid the trappings of television and other media still face a barrage when we step out of the house. Billboards, sign-written vehicles, shop fronts and branded clothing – advertising is everywhere. Even the back of petrol pump nozzles are being sold as space.

And though we might decry it, advertising is often a necessary evil. It produces massive capital, and many people are less concerned about quality than quantity or convenience – in fact, plenty have no choice.

It is a thankful joy that each issue of Fallon’s angler arrives with not a single string attached. In this world, such quality is extraordinarily difficult to find. But if advertising has one benefit, then it is to give us cultural lessons of a bygone age. Take the 1963 edition of the Angler’s Annual for example.

Fishpool means no disrespect to Scarborough, but at a time when we took the written word at face value, and had few sources to find proof to the contrary, how many anglers felt short changed by this advert… if any?